For as long as replica watches have been in mass production they key to winnowing the wheat from the chaff was to go with a watch based on a Swiss ETA movement. ETA is the ubiquitous manufacturer of watch movements for many high-end brands. Given the state of early inexpensive Asian watch movements (poor to average at best) a watch with an ETA movement had a longer life expectancy.

Replica Watch manufacturers would set a premium on these ETA pieces, reserving their highest quality materials such sapphire crystals and accurate cases for these higher-return replica watches. And to be honest, many ETA replica watches are very reliable. I've had an ETA-based replica Rolex that has lasted 4 years without missing a beat. Some of my cheaper Asian-movement watches have given up the ghost with 6 months.

The Asian manufacturers have envied the ETA movements so much that they've begun to replicate the movement as well as the watch. The (in)famous Asian 7750 is a direct clone of the ETA 7750 movement. This has dramatically brought down the cost of some complex chronographs (and spawned a whole industry of Breitling replicas) but at the expense of accuracy and life expectancy. Sure that Asian 7750 cost 1/3 of a genuine ETA 7750, but it's got a bad reputation for poor reliability.

Citizen to the Rescue

With the increased popularity of mechanical watches (no matter what doomsayers may say) many Japanese watchmakers are getting into the mechanical watch business. Seiko and Citizen have long been makers of reliable and inexpensive mechanical watches. With their production ramp-up the price of buying these movements in bulk has dropped dramatically. So much so that they are now commonly found in "mid-range" replica watches. These movements will withstand punishment (such as improper installation, which is not uncommon in replica watch manufacturing) and can last decades.

So with the influx of these cheap reliable movements do genuine ETA movements still deserve the premium price they've commanded for years? Yes and no. ETA movements are indeed reliable, and are used in brands from Breitling to Zeno. The advantage to these movements still is the steady level of quality. Unfortunately in any watch NOT guaranteed to be Swiss ETA you can't 100% know the movement used. It's not that the replica manufacturers are trying to cheat you, they simply don't value these watches any more than if they were making coathangers. If they run out of the movement advertised they may simply buy a batch of cheaper movements to complete the order.

The new breed of Japanese movements is quite excellent. But until they gain the same level of name recognition as the ETA movements you'll be hard pressed to guarantee you're actually getting one. My suggestion is to buy from a reputable dealer like Joshua, Angus or TTK who check their inventory. Not every dealer does this and it is a definite way to gain a level of comfort when buying a replica watch.

Remember, these watches by nature are not as reliable or sturdy as the watch they emulate. If you truly want a Rolex Submariner to pass down to your children, save your money and buy a genuine one. As the great replica watch dealer River used to say: "A replica is a replica." Don't forget that mantra.